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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · bound · racket · pop · tube · patient · clip · firm

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bound — certain
  8. pop — to visit
  9. firm — steady
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. clip — a video
  13. firm — decided
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pop — music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tube — a container
  21. firm — a company
  22. kick — in football
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com